Chapter Thirty

The transition from dream to reality was tangled and confusing. While her brain lingered in the world it envisioned behind her closed eyes, Kaoru stared sightlessly up at the ceiling in the observation room. For several minutes, she thought longingly of how nice it would be for that fire demon to finally look at her. Scenarios and actions she might take to garner his attention played over and over in her mind. What could she have done differently? How could she reach him? Why was he in such pain?

As the tendrils from the dream receded, her internal dilemma shifted its focus to remind her of something much more current and demanding. The recollection resulted in a sharp, reflexive intake of air, but the tube down her throat hampered such an action. Instead, pain flared in her throat and chest, and every muscle in her body kicked and struggled at the same time.

"Kaoru! It's okay! You need to stay calm!"

A familiar, trusted voice filled her ears, but instinct was stronger than reason and it was hard to go against it.

"Just get the tube out!"

Another voice, less trusted, but also familiar.

"Breathe out, Kaoru. I need you to breathe out."

The plastic obstruction in her mouth was removed in one steady and well-practiced motion, and instant coughing doubled Kaoru forward as her diaphragm contracted harshly in irritation.

"Alright. It's okay."

A gentle hand on her back helped her sit up fully, but it brushed something painful and she flinched. The hand disappeared. Both of her fists balled into her sternum and against the soreness just behind it, and Kaoru sucked in air greedily, as if she had once more just escaped the ocean. Just like those rough and heavy waves, reality slammed back against her without mercy, and she saw what she did not want to acknowledge. The unexpected anger on Kenshin's face. The way his violet eyes would not look at her. The straight line of his back as he had walked away. A harsh, soundless sob stalled her desperate breaths, and when air finally did escape, it was scratchy and forced because of the tension in her lungs. Something cold slid like melting ice down both cheeks, but her fight against the aching sobs tormenting her breathing provided little room in her thoughts to contemplate the tears on her skin. Her body started to shiver violently.

"W-what… is that?"

Tomoe's dark eyes stared, fixed and unblinking, at the twin tears slipping slow and unhurried down Kaoru's face. They were smoky and bluish in tint, almost like a piece of her iris had melted and turned to liquid. Without thinking, she reached a hand towards Kaoru's chin.

"Don't touch it!"

Tomoe jerked, and darted her gaze over to Megumi, but the fox was studying Kaoru with the sharp interest of a scientist.

"I need a sample tube. Right now."

"R-right." Tomoe hurried back through the main room and into the smaller lab at the entrance. Sterilized tubes were kept on hand in a metal cabinet, and she retrieved two before rushing back. The tears were collected, one in each tube, and sealed safely within the glass containers. Kaoru's dark lashes blinked after they were gone, and when her eyes lifted to look at Tomoe, they were weary but focused. The sobbing had subsided, but the girl continued to shiver.

"Humans don't… cry like that, do they?" Taking one of Kaoru's hands to convey reassurance, Tomoe looked over the girl's head at Megumi on her other side.

"No, they do not." Megumi held up one of the vials and studied it curiously.

"But… she's not a demon. You were very sure she wasn't."

"And I'm still sure she isn't. This… I don't know what this is."

With Kaoru seated upright, the salamander had curled itself so that it was wedged into the crevice of her lower spine, but decided it was ready to move. The end of its nose butted Kaoru's elbow, and she jumped but lifted her arm to see what had touched her. Opening secured, the salamander squeezed itself between her side and the railing of the bed so that it was curled almost completely around her middle. Its tail flopped over the opposite side of hospital bed as it repositioned, whipping into open air and forcing Tomoe to step back. There was a brief, messy struggle for its large body to perform a full three-sixty turn, but when it finally managed, the flop of its weight atop and between Kaoru's legs forced her to lie back into the mattress. Its chin landed firm and heavy on her sternum, and its glistening golden irises stared up at her as if nothing else in the world mattered.

Kaoru's pink lips parted as she stared back, and a slight crease formed between her brows. Slowly, her arms encircled but hovered over the salamander's back, as if unsure how to deal with this unknown creature's presence. It did not move now, or hiss as it had before. And it was warm. Comfortably warm. Finally, her limbs relaxed, and she hugged the salamander to her, lightly at first, then gradually tighter as it tolerated her needy embrace. Large, golden eyes half-closed, and a low, gruff rumble pushed from its nose. Kaoru's shivering subsided.

One clawed hand extended to linger in the air over the salamander's spine, and the frown on Megumi's face was pensive. "He's putting off heat like a furnace." Her eyes transferred to Kaoru. "Are you cold?" Even as she asked, her hand reached up to flatten over her forehead.

A sad nod was her reply, but Megumi hardly needed for her to confirm it. The skin under her hand was like ice.

"Hmm. This isn't normal for a human, either… but it may be why he's still active. You are becoming more and more interesting by the second, little miss blue-eyes."

It was decided that they would allow the salamander to warm her before they took additional imaging. Megumi left to begin a preliminary review of the captured tears, but Tomoe pulled a stool closer to Kaoru's bedside. A soft, gentle smile tugged at her mouth as she observed the girl now cuddling the salamander like an old friend, or stuffed animal.

"Do you know what this is, Kaoru-chan?"

Blue eyes looked up at her, and she shook her head.

"It's a salamander. A legendary creature born of pure fire. This one in particular came from the hair charm you wear. Or rather, he is the hair charm that you wear."

Kaoru blinked, and her gaze returned to the still half-opened eyes near her chest. Slender fingers brushed back Kaoru's bangs, and images from the security footage lingered in Tomoe's mind. Seeing what had happened had answered little to none of their questions, but asking Kaoru about it would be even less effective. No doubt, the girl had as many questions as they did. Unfortunately, Kenshin was refusing her calls. Retaining her smile to hide her misgivings, Tomoe retracted her hand to fold into her lap.

"He is very devoted. He has not left your side."

A slight tremble ran along Kaoru's bottom lip, and she lifted her chin to touch her nose to the tip of the salamander's snout. Another rumble vibrated along his body, and her mouth twitched to convey amusement. A deep sadness kept that amusement in check.

Witnessing this young girl's restrained sorrow pierced Tomoe's heart. There was something so resigned about it, as if she was used to being dismissed, or used to being abandoned. A deep, unsteady breath drug into her lungs, and she wanted so much to tell her she had nothing to fear. That might be a lie, however, and Tomoe knew now that the truth, while not always welcome, was better.

"You did nothing wrong, Kaoru." Dark lashes squeezed shut over sapphire irises, as if afraid of what she was going to say, or denying her words. "Himura-san… has been through a lot. It's not my place to tell you what he's gone through. To be honest, I don't know everything. What you should know is that… a lot of terrible things were done to him… by humans. As you can imagine, he feels very strongly about it. Learning that you are a human was a shock to him. He may need a little time to figure out how he feels."

Kaoru's chin turned towards her, and a crease between her brows spoke of uncertainty and fear. Touching her shoulder gently, Tomoe's features fought with sympathetic tears.

"I promise, you did nothing wrong."

It was sometime later before the salamander deemed Kaoru warm enough to move. Though he appeared hesitant about leaving, Tomoe convinced him that his charm form was more practical for everyday function. Though Kaoru did not appear willing to give him up, either, she did nod her head when he looked at her for confirmation. One last headbutt from his hard nose pressed against her jaw, and then he shifted itself forward enough to latch onto her ponytail with a clawed foot. Abruptly the salamander's weight disappeared from her chest, and in its place a long, red braid of hair draped down over her breast. Gently, one of Kaoru's calloused hands curled around it.

In order to obtain new imaging of the seal on her chest, Tomoe helped Kaoru out of her clothes and into her gown. However, as Kaoru removed her bra, she winced and rolled her shoulders uncomfortably. It was then that Tomoe noticed a new burn scar on her back that was slightly offset to the left of her spine.

"Kaoru…"

It was pink, as if newly healed, but no damage had been done to her clothes to suggest it was from what had happened only an hour earlier. Instead, it mimicked the burn scar on her chest, and appeared of mysterious origin. The amount and size of the ridging on the scar suggested intensive burns that would take weeks to heal, and would not have gone unnoticed. It was smaller than the burn between her breasts, though, and just at its center was a thick straight line that was more like a cut than a burn.

"Does this hurt?"

Kaoru nodded.

"Has it hurt before?"

A shake of the head this time.

"What about your chest? Has that one changed?" Turning her around, she studied the now well-known scar that covered her breasts. While it had not spread any further, it did have a new, similarly straight line directly at its center implying a cut and not a burn. As a doctor, and one that had helped during the war, Tomoe recognized exactly what she was seeing.

"But… h-how… are you alive?"

Dark eyes connected with sapphire, but there was only confusion in Kaoru's expression. A confusion that deepened towards grief as she stared back at the horror plainly visible in the eyes of the coal demon. Releasing her shoulders, Tomoe took a step back. Both of Kaoru's pale arms lifted to cover herself, and her head ducked dejectedly.

"M-Megumi-sensei!"

"What now?"

It took a few seconds, but the fox was obviously annoyed when she called back from the hallway.

"It's an entrance wound."

"What are you talking about?" Finally at the door, Megumi glanced at Kaoru still standing in her underwear next to the cot. "Where?"

"Her chest. The scar there is an entrance wound. There's a new scar on her back."

Upon close study, Megumi came to the same conclusion. Whatever had happened, whenever it had happened, the scar between her breasts marked the entrance, and the new scar on her back was the exit. With one forearm held straight, Megumi pressed it to Kaoru's side at an upward angle for a visual representation of the strike.

"You, my strange and interesting little human, were stabbed. By something long enough to go all the way through." Megumi's brows folded hard together. "How is that possible? This wound would have gone straight through your heart…" A moment of thought later, and her eyebrows shot up to disappear behind her bangs.

"Get that imaging now. I need to make a call."

Megumi ran from the room. Left alone, Tomoe and Kaoru stood apart, but despite the suggestion that she had, at some point, been fatally stabbed, Kaoru looked melancholy instead of terrified. Which, in a way, frightened Tomoe. This girl had little memory of before Kenshin had found her on the street. Finding out that she had been stabbed would normally produce some type of shocked reaction. Whether terror, confusion, or anger, any emotion would have made more sense than simple, accepting sadness. Shaking interrupted Tomoe's normally calm demeanor, and she had to reach for the girl twice before she could bring herself to touch her. In spite of her uncertainty, Kaoru was warm under her fingers, like a living being should be, and the fear in her heart melted under the affection she already had for her. Hugging her tight, she was suddenly overwhelmed by guilt.

"I'm sorry, sweet girl. Don't be sad. I won't leave you alone."

X

The new imaging confirmed what they expected, that the seal was nearly gone. Though they were not entirely certain what the seal's full purpose was, they suspected this one in particular was fairly straightforward in comparison to the others. This one was sealing something inside of her, or hiding something that was inside of her. As it deteriorated, the scars had become more and more visible, suggesting they had always been there. What else had always been there was the question, and why had Sojiro concealed it?

Megumi spent the remainder of the afternoon talking on her phone and staring at pages upon pages of documents from a manilla envelope she had retrieved from her office. Sometimes she would pace the concrete floor of the lab, and sometimes she would flip through the papers frantically as she discussed avenues of thought in hushed tones with the person on the other end of her call.

Tomoe tried to distract Kaoru with games and movies, but for someone that could not speak, her silence was suddenly deafening. She ate when she was told to, and bathed when she was told to, but reacted little to Tomoe's one-sided conversations. Instead, she spent much of her time staring at nothing. The spark of oddity and enthusiasm inside of her had gone out, and Tomoe hoped it was not permanent.

The dented package Kaoru had tried to gift Kenshin had been retrieved earlier from a corner of the lab, and quickly hidden in Tomoe's work station. The raucous clatter it emitted when tipped to one side hinted that its contents had shattered, and Tomoe did not have the heart to give it back to Kaoru or open it to check the damage.

Kenshin continued to ignore her calls.

When it was time for bed, Tomoe was surprised to find the salamander had decided to once more make an appearance. Since Kaoru was not actively in any danger, it was strange for the charm to simply do as it pleased. Lying in the spare bedding and watching Kaoru hug herself tight to its red scales, Tomoe was glad it had such freewill.

When Enishi learned what had transpired, he came first thing the next morning. Tomoe had worried how he would react. She knew he cared for Kaoru, but feared the situation might make him bitter towards Kenshin. Though he was not happy with her explanation and wish to allow Kenshin some time, she was proud of him for holding his own feelings in check in order to focus on Kaoru.

After spending the last year together, he knew how to keep her occupied better than anyone. Idol activities such as drawing or watching a movie allowed her too much freedom to become lost in her own mind. Instead, Enishi pushed her through sparring and exercise. Physical exhaustion successfully distracted her, but only for two days.

During that time, Tomoe had tried helping Megumi. Unfortunately, Megumi thought it best to keep any new theories between herself and Genzai for now, but did have her study the tears captured from Kaoru's eyes. After forty-eight hours of study, Tomoe found herself confused by the composition of liquid and gas occupying the same space.

It was while they ate lunch on the third day that Kaoru finally broke her figurative silence. The chopsticks in her hand were settled softly on the table, and she waved her fingers unenthusiastically for Enishi's attention. He glanced up at her immediately, and nodded for her to proceed. However, as Tomoe watched her form the words with her hands, the color completely drained from Enishi's face.

"… Excuse me for a minute." Depositing his own bowl and chopsticks onto the small table, Enishi stood and left the room. A moment later, and the entrance door to the lab opened and clicked closed.

Sapphire eyes watched him walk out, and the slump in her shoulders was more than obvious. Touching her arm, Tomoe asked her to finish her meal while she checked on her younger brother.

He was pacing the hallway when she caught up to him, and from the jerk of his muscles, Tomoe could tell he was upset.

"What did she say?"

Irises like hard emerald gems spared her a glance.

"Let me hit him. Just once. I won't break anything. I promise."

"Enishi. Please. What did she say?"

His hand raked through his stone-colored hair, but then returned to fist into the fringe above his forehead. The width of his wrist partially shielded his face from view.

"She… wanted to know what a human was." Abruptly, his hand slammed out to crash into the wall behind him. "How can he be mad at her when she doesn't even know what a human is?!"

"Calm down." Though soothing, her voice was slightly solemn. "I don't think he's mad at her."

"Then what the fuck is he doing?!" His voice was getting louder, and her hands folded together at her waist.

"Enishi… why are you really upset?"

The rage on his face fought stubbornly against her question, but it took only a few seconds before his features scrunched with contrition. "I don't know what to say to her." His voice, though deep like a cavernous mine, was rougher than normal with frustration. "I… I've never even met a human. I've only heard others talk about them. And it was always bad things. Things from the war. But… she's not like that at all. She's…" His eyes closed in shame. "She's better than any of us, and I'm so ashamed. All I can remember is every bad thought I've ever had about humans. Humans I've never even met. How can I look at her and pretend to be better than him?"

Tomoe studied her little brother sadly, and a soft sigh released from her lungs.

"I'm sorry, Enishi. I should have talked to you more, about how things were before the war."

"You were only young then." He dismissed her apology, and looked away from her to stare down the length of the hall.

"Yes, but I still have some memories of it… and of mother. She was friends with our human neighbor." Tomoe smiled. "I'll tell you about her sometime." She glanced down at her hands. "Don't misunderstand. There were plenty of bad humans, but… there were good ones too. Sometimes, it's easier to remember the bad things than the good." When her eyes lifted, she was once more composed. "For now, I think it best if you let me explain what humans are to Kaoru. Why don't you get us some ice cream for dessert?"

"Yes, ma'am." He was despondent, but agreed too easily.

"And you will not see Himura-san." His eyes glanced over at her guiltily, but her expression was unyielding. "You will leave that to me."

Enishi's eyebrows lifted. "Are you sure you're okay to talk to him? I mean…" Sometimes you're scarier than I am.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt him."

Though Kaoru still sat at the table, she had not touched her food to finish it. She looked up when Tomoe entered the rec room, but then dropped her eyes back to her lap like a child expecting punishment.

"That's probably enough for lunch. Why don't you come sit with me on the couch?" Holding out her hand, Tomoe helped Kaoru up. "Enishi's going to bring us back something sweet anyway, so we should save some room. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Though hesitant, she did nod. Seated now on the sofa, Tomoe tucked a stray hair behind the girl's ear and adjusted the hair charm to lay nicely over her shoulder.

"Enishi said you wanted to know what a human was, is that right?"

Eyes the color of blue agate stone looked at her through her lashes, and she nodded slowly.

"You'll have to forgive him, Kaoru-chan. He's never met a human other than you, so he wasn't sure how to respond." Gathering her hands into hers, Tomoe sighed. "Forgive me, too. We've thrown this word around so casually without even considering that you might not know what it even means.

"The simplest answer I can provide, is that humans were at one time the dominant species of this world. Unlike demons who come in a variety of species, humans… well, they varied mostly in sizes and shades, but were generally all the same shape as you. Their lives were short, and they had no powers, like we do, but they found ways to tame electricity, advance medicine, and invent technology to make their lives easier and longer.

"There were many good humans, and… there were many bad humans, too. A few hundred years ago, there was a war between the humans and the demons." Tomoe's hands squeezed gently. "No human survived the war. At least, no one has seen one in two hundred years. You could very well be the last human in the world."

The expression on Kaoru's face was hard to read.

"I know this is a lot to take in, and it isn't my intention to alienate you by saying that. No matter what your lineage, you are a part of this world and deserve to have a life within it. Even if…" A hitch stalled her breath and she swallowed, but could not bring herself to voice aloud the harsh possibility of Kenshin's rejection. "No matter what happens."

Kaoru leaned forward to rest her head against her shoulder, and Tomoe hugged her tight and patted her back comfortingly. Enishi's right. You are much kinder and gentler than any of us. If Himura-san had known a human like you before the war… I wonder how different the world would be.

X

"Shishio-sama." Sojiro grinned in the doorway at the bandaged form of the deadliest assassin in the world. Even though his mind wasn't right, and they had failed to restore him fully, he was still very much the powerful demon he once was. From behind the bandages, Shishio grinned back.

"I have some bad news, Shishio-sama. Someone is trying to mess with Kaoru-san."

The grin disappeared like the light in a midnight storm.

"We can't allow that, can we?"

The creases around his dark eyes deepened, and the shadow from his bandages made him look severe.

"Shall I give you their name? A black card name?"

The card was held up between two fingers, but was gone before Sojiro could blink. There was no name on the card, as Shishio's mind could no longer process written words. He liked the familiarity, however, and Sojiro had learned to oblige him in that way. The routine kept him calm and focused, so that the name and location already whispering into his ear would be all that he could think about.

X

A/N: This chapter came out a bit rough, but I hope it reads better than that. It was a long week, and I didn't want to rush the chapter, but did spend most of today working on it. I may edit it some more later, but it does have most of what I want in it plot wise. Perhaps I'm just not happy with it because there's no Kenshin? I'm ready for him to come back to the page, that's for sure. Anyway, a lot of development came through this time. I'm getting excited about what's to come, and I want to work hard to keep it interesting and fun, and of course, full of love! Thank you all for the thoughts and love. I miss my pretty little fluffy jellybean. (We pet parents always have like three hundred names for our fur children, lol. I don't think I've ever actually used her real name.) I'm using her a lot as inspiration for the way the salamander's acts or reacts, so I hope her personality shines through some and you get to enjoy her as much as I did. Lots of love!